Toxic substances in the aquatic environment

The figure shows the various ways toxic substances enter, move about, and exist in the aquatic environment; namely:

• Dry deposition or dustfall
• Partitioning into the atmosphere
• Wet deposition
• Spray transfer
• Volatilization
• Absorption
• Bubble transfer
• Vertical and horizontal diffusion
• Partitioning into biota and suspended sediment
• Sediment-water diffusion
• Re-suspension
• Deposition
• Bottom sediment